Note to politicians: Colbert always gets the last laugh

Former Tennessee Congressman Harold Ford is a smooth talker. He is a strong and savvy communicator who has made a positive impression as a TV pundit and public speaker in recent years. He looks good on camera, gets his point across and never seems at a loss for words.

But Ford’s communication skills were seriously tested on Comedy Central’s The Colbert Report” last week. Stephen Colbert has been making professionals of all stripes look bad for years. He does it time and time again. Politicians and business leaders who come on and think they are smarter find out they are not. Those who think they are funnier or who can at least match wits with Colbert wind up looking worse. And some, in spite of the popularity of “The Colbert Report,” still don’t know that they are in on some sort of joke that is on them. But when it comes to communication, you need to know the venue you are communicating in and the audience you are communicating to.

Consider that Colbert is playing a character, but the character actually has impressive research and relevant facts to back up his questions, follow-ups and quips. Colbert is a comedian and writer who is playing a TV talker who’s a lot better informed than most people who do it for real.

So, when Ford walked onto “The Colbert Report” set, the host was loaded for bear. Ford is seriously thinking of running for the U.S. Senate in New York, but after this appearance, one suspects that the resulting YouTube video will make Ford look a lot less than savvy and smooth when it comes to his communication skills.

It’s not that Ford blew the appearance. At times he was witty and self-deprecating. It’s just that in certain communication settings the cards are stacked heavily against you. Ford seemed to have an answer for everything Colbert asked, like his apparent shift on his position on abortion, in which he called himself “pro-life” when running for the Senate in Tennessee. (Ford said that for him being “pro-life” he was talking about supporting education, veterans benefits and other so-called quality of life issues.) When asked about changing his position on gay marriage, Ford said he had evolved over time. And when Colbert pressed him on his New York residency and the fact he had never voted in New York and had only “touched down on Staten Island” in a helicopter, the audience roared with laughter.

Simply put, Colbert is always in control on his own program. He, not his guests, gets the laughs. The audience is on his side. And even for an experienced presenter like Ford, when video clips of the interview are taken out of context and edited, he winds up looking foolish, even if he was totally prepared for everything Colbert threw at him.

I don’t know why serious people go on Colbert’s program (or even Jon Stewart’s program) when they wind up becoming human punching bags or foils for this exceptional comedian who always makes sure that he — not you — gets the last and loudest laugh. If Ford was looking to survive the Colbert experience, he succeeded. If he was looking to show that he could laugh at himself, he succeeded. But in terms of scoring points and looking good, I don’t see it.

The point here for any professional is that certain communication situations and scenarios are to be avoided. The rewards don’t nearly match the risks. The chance that you will look bad is a heck of a lot greater than you coming off well.

Steve Adubato speaks and coaches on leadership and communication and is the author of “Make the Connection.” Visit his website at stand-deliver.com.